Zawe Ashton: I want a housing estate named after me

Zawe Ashton dreams of having a housing estate named in her honour.

The 30-year-old actress is currently working with Hollywood star Idris Elba on a new project for the BBC and has admitted to feeling inspired by her London-born collaborator.

Reflecting on Idris' rise, Zawe - who's best known for starring as Vod in the Channel 4 comedy-drama 'Fresh Meat' - shared: "It just goes to show you no matter who you are, no matter who you are working with, some things never happen."

Zawe and Idris, 42, were born in the London borough of Hackney - and the actress admits the 'Luther' star is a massive source of inspiration.

She told the Times newspaper: "I really aspire to what he's up to. He's got an estate in Hackney named after him, Eba House. That's the dream. I would like an Ashton Alley ... just a little alleyway."

Meanwhile, Zawe admitted she's keen to tackle increasingly complex on-screen roles, saying she doesn't want to be restricted to the part of "someone's girlfriend".

She said: "There's this term being bandied around, 'We need more roles for strong women.' I think that gets misconstrued. It's not about being a strong woman.

"I've got a notebook with 'Attack of the 50ft Woman' on it, crushing men and stamping on buildings. I love the '50ft Woman' but it's not about that. All we want is complex roles, a woman who is more than one thing."